Connecticut says it's now accepting applications through Halloween from municipalities and economic-development agencies for its latest round of competitive brownfield cleanup grants.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) extended invitations Wednesday for formal requests to the state's Brownfield Remediation Program.

The initiative provides opportunities to investigate, clean up, and revitalize blighted properties that have fallen into disrepair and puts them back into productive use in ways that benefit local economies.

To date, DECD says the state has invested $223 million in more than 246 old or vacant factories, mills, warehouses, and other contaminated sites and structures under the program that it oversees.

This latest round will see an investment of up to $4 million for remediation projects, and up to $1 million of that amount will be reserved specifically for assessment projects.Municipalities and economic development agencies can ask for up to $1 million for individual remediation projects and up to $200,000 for assessment projects.

Awards may be used for a range of brownfield assessment, remediation and redevelopment activities, including abatement, demolition, site investigation and assessment, groundwater monitoring, installation of institutional controls, and professional service fees associated with redevelopment including attorney's fees, and planning, design and consulting fees.

Applications are available here. All applications must be submitted via email to brownfields@ct.gov no later than Wed. Oct. 31 at 3 p.m.